Let me say a word to you: ‘sustainability’. Switched off yet? Probably. Its precise meaning can be hard to pin down. And its overtones of austerity and sacrifice can be off-putting – especially in the fashion world.

‘“Giving up” has been what sustainability has been all about in the early part of the century,’ admits social entrepreneur Diana Verde Nieto. ‘The word itself conjures up something that sounds quite stern and negative.

‘As a result, people switch off to the S-word because it’s hard to relate to or in any way be part of the solution.’ So Nieto decided to make sustainability ‘cool, normal and somehow sexy’ – without using the word itself.

Two years ago, Nieto set up Positive Luxury, an online consumer guide to living ethically. Instead of condemning, hectoring and prescribing good behaviour, the site celebrates the ethical achievements of brands, big and small.

Some of these may come as a surprise. While most fashionistas are aware of the efforts of labels such as Asos Africa, a range manufactured with a Kenyan collective, there are other efforts afoot.

For instance, luxury megalith LVMH (Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton) trains employees to cut waste and strives for ‘harmless’ production methods, according to its website.

Hard-core greenies will no doubt quibble – particularly as ‘Made In Britain’ brand Burberry, featured on Positive Luxury, has been challenged for outsourcing production to China. However, allowing for different levels and definitions of sustainability is all part of Nieto’s inclusive philosophy.

Philanthropist Alisa Swidler, who has worked with the Clinton Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is a brand ambassador for Positive Luxury.

‘The genius behind Positive Luxury is that it embraces the fact that companies are different and shouldn’t necessarily be forced into a one-size-fits-all model when it comes to doing good,’ she says. This, she hopes, makes sustainable living more open and achievable.

Nieto adds: ‘The name Positive Luxury was created because we love the word “positive” – who doesn’t?’ And luxury? ‘Well, luxury is no longer about the monetary value of goods or services.’

Instead, Nieto defines luxury as goods that generate the most benefit to all involved in their production and trade, from the birth of a product to its eventual demise. In this equation, the true villain becomes fast fashion.

‘Luxury has sustainability at its core as luxury creates products that are durable and timeless,’ says Nieto. ‘Better buy an investment piece which lasts for life than one that lasts a year or two and adds to the waste mountain.’

All the 400-plus brands on the site, from Stella McCartney, who offsets her label’s carbon emissions by funding projects in Tanzania and Guatemala, to recycled accessories label Elvis & Kresse, have been awarded The Blue Butterfly, Positive Luxury’s trust mark.

‘The companies granted the Blue Butterfly are all “healing the world” in different ways,’ says Nieto. ‘Some are committing to organic ingredients, some are committing to fair trade, some are committing to anti-sweat shop measures.’

The butterfly, actually a British species known as the large blue, was suggested to Nieto by one of the most revered environmental champions of the modern age, Sir David Attenborough.

‘The large blue became extinct in the UK in 1979 due to new farming techniques,’ says Nieto. ‘However, it was reintroduced in the 1980s in what is now considered to be one of the greatest feats of reintroduction ever.

‘That’s the logo I chose, an emblem of the positive impact humans can have that counters all their negative activities. The Blue Butterfly demands quality standards as well as detailed social, environmental and philanthropic efforts.’

Positive Luxury’s list of brands is broad and deliciously varied. Hattie Rickards Jewellery regularly uses 18ct Fairtrade and Fairmined ecological gold and precious stones. Age of Reason scarves are designed and made by British artisans.

The fashion brands are coming together next week in Positive Luxury’s first Positive Week: a week of random acts of kindness, competitions through social media and small events.

True to her philosophy, Nieto remains upbeat about the future. ‘The thing that encourages me is how much the younger generation is going back to basics,’ she says.

‘They expect brands to behave ethically and be clear about what they stand for. They’re interested in philanthropic celebrity culture and they believe the world is pretty good, although there are several problems that need to be resolved.

‘Any brand that ignores the need to behave responsibly does so at its peril. The information highway today means brands can rise and fall quickly if they don’t practise what they preach.’

And the S-word? Nieto is unfazed: ‘Although people might not be excited by the word “sustainability”, people care about everything that the word implies.’ Let’s hope she’s right.

Elvis & Kresse’s recycled fire hose bag (Picture: supplied)

Elvis & Kresse’s fire hose bags

Kresse Wesling and partner James ‘Elvis’ Henrit began reworking apparently worthless waste material when they discovered London Fire Brigade’s had decommissioned a particular type of fire hose in 2005.

The hoses were destined for landfill, so the couple turned them into unique accessories and never looked back.

Now, under the name Elvis & Kresse, the brand makes items such as wallets, personalised bags, belts and cufflinks, using other discarded materials such as parachute silks and coffee sacks.

This has become an obsession – even its business cards are fashioned from air-traffic control flight strips.